GLENDALE, Ariz. -- There’s no set timeline as to when Drew Thorpe will contribute to the 2026 White Sox, as he continues along the recovery road from Tommy John surgery taking place at the end of Spring Training last season.
With a mere nine starts and 44 1/3 innings on his career resume, the right-hander is yet to truly be thrust into the Major League spotlight. But Thorpe has a working knowledge of pressure, with that pressure having more to do with how the high-end prospect arrived at his particular teams than what he has done on the mound.
Thorpe was traded from the Yankees to the Padres as part of the five-player return for Juan Soto and Trent Grisham on Dec. 7, 2023. He was then sent from the Padres to the White Sox as the top component in a four-player package for ace-hurler Dylan Cease on March 13, 2024.
Paul Konerko was traded twice in a four-year period early on in his 18-year career. He also has 439 home runs and a 2005 World Series title with the White Sox, going with his No. 14 jersey retired by the organization where he played 16 years and his concourse statue at Rate Field.
Being moved oftentimes is about the new team wanting you as opposed to the past one moving forward without you. There’s still always the knee-jerk reaction to declare a winner in deals.
Chris Sale goes from the White Sox to the Red Sox in December 2016 and the ’18 Red Sox win the World Series with the ace southpaw? Boston wins the deal, of course. But not completely accurate.
The best big league trades actually are deals helping both sides. The two teams involved, or maybe even three, frequently are going in different directions -- contention vs. rebuild, as an example.
But as Thorpe moves up to fastballs and changeups through his five bullpen sessions, the 25-year-old doesn’t give much thought to justifying his part in high-profile deals.
“It just depends how you look at it, right?” Thorpe told MLB.com during a recent interview. “Obviously I was wanted by two of the teams and I was in those two trades for a reason.
“Take that mindset into it. Can’t control that I got hurt. All I can do is work hard every day to get healthy.”
Thorpe’s last Major League start came on July 31, 2024. He was shut down in September of that season resulting in surgery to remove bone spurs from his right elbow.
Although he received a cortisone shot the day before SoxFest Live ‘25, he ramped up last Spring Training only to be shut down and eventually have Tommy John surgery. The ongoing soreness due to tendinitis kept Thorpe off the mound until three weeks into this Arizona stint.
All these injury issues show the trials and travails Thorpe has gone through in the past 18 months. The 100-degree temperatures this weekend simply remind him of rehabbing during summer days in Arizona.
General manager Chris Getz is pleased Thorpe has moved into the 10-week bullpen period of the recovery process, giving some peace to his hurler. Much like Thorpe, he isn’t worried about grading out trades.
“He was a highly touted pitching prospect, and the focus right now is getting him back on track,” Getz said. “It’s important for him not to add anything more on his back other than getting healthy and being the pitcher he can be. He’s not carrying the stress of justifying a deal. I don’t want players to feel that at all.
“When you are evaluating deals, it sometimes takes six to eight years to really understand the effect that it has. In this case, with Drew, and that particular deal, he’s got years in front of him. We know he can be a Major League starter. He’s shown that in the past. We look forward to getting him back this year at some point.”
Adding Thorpe, not to mention Ky Bush, Prelander Berroa and possibly Mason Adams when fully settled from Tommy John rehab work, gives the White Sox in-season mound plusses without giving anyone up. Much like the White Sox, Thorpe sees himself as a long-term starter even if his ’26 return isn’t guaranteed as part of the rotation.
Remember, Thorpe was not the lone part of the White Sox return in the deal for Cease, who has since moved on to the Blue Jays via free agency. He might be the most significant component, but his greatest current significance is getting back to games.
“Build up strength and just hopefully keep feeling good,” Thope said. “My first focus is getting healthy and back on the mound and that’s all I can control.”